defaulted
|de-fault-ed|
🇺🇸
/dɪˈfɔlt/
🇬🇧
/dɪˈfɔːlt/
(default)
failure to fulfill
Etymology
'default' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'defaute', where 'defaute' meant 'lack' or 'failure'.
'default' changed from Old French 'defaute' into Middle English forms such as 'defaute' and later became the modern English word 'default'.
Initially, it meant 'lack' or 'failure'; over time it evolved to include the legal/financial sense 'failure to fulfill an obligation' and the technical sense 'a preset option'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
past tense or past participle form of 'default' (to fail to fulfill a duty, especially to fail to pay money owed).
The company defaulted on its loan last year.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 1
having undergone default; (of a loan or obligation) not paid or satisfied.
The bank repossessed several defaulted mortgages.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/03 16:50